Shoe-fastener.



No. 705,356. Patented July 22, I902.

A. T. JORDAN.

SHOE FASTENER.

(Application filed Nov. 16 1901,]

(No Model.)

witness es %WCZM 11- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERTo T. JORDAN, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, ASSIGNOR or oNE-I-IALF To GEORGE W. BROWN, OF oAPE ELIZABETH, MAINE.

SHOE-QFASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 705,356, dated July 22, 1902. Application filed November 16, 1901. Serial No. 82,499. (No model.)

citizen of the United States, residing at Port-- land, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Shoe-Fasteners; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in shoe-fasteners. Its object is to enable the shoe to be unfastened without removing the lace relative to the holder. Its object is also to obviate the drawing of the lace through or around the lace-stud every time it is necessary to fasten or unfasten the shoe. It also obviates the necessity of repeatedly tyin g and untying the lace.

' In the drawings herewith accompanying and making a part of this application, Figure l is a plan View of a shoe, showing myirnproved fastener applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of one form of removable lace-holder and means of attaching it to the shoe, and Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of an equivalent device.

Same letters refer to likeparts.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents a shoe having the usual vertical opening B in the front. On one side is aseries of lace-holders O, permanently attached to the shoe. On the other side is a series of laceholders D, adapted to be removably secured to the other side of the shoe, the holders, both fixed and detachable, having diametric bars E.. The detachable lace-holders may be secured to the shoe in any convenient manner. I have shown in Figs. 2 and 3 two forms of making the attachment. One is by means of eyelets K, permanently secured to the shoe and adapted to be engaged by an offset or prong F, attached to the lace-holder. It will be seen that by tipping the lace-holder upwardly and outwardly it permits the offset or prong to enter and engage the under edge of the eyelet, and when tipped back and held as it is naturally by the lace the lace-holder is prevented from being accidentally detached. In Fig. 3 I have shown the holder with a socket G on the under side adapted to engage the head of a stud H, permanently secured to v the shoe, and a bar E, as before. For convenience of manipulation two or more of the detachable lace-holders may be joined bya rigid connecting-bond I and be operated simultaneously. In actual operation it is found that the bonding of two lace-holders gives the most satisfaction. To detach the fastener, insert the finger or finger-nail under the edge of the holder or under the bond connecting two or more, as the case may be, and tip the same upwardly and outwardly until the prong is disengaged, if the device shown in Fig. 2 is used. If the device shown in Fig. 3 is used, remove it in the usual wayof detaching a balland-socket fastener.

The lace J, starting at the bottom, passes around the bar in the holders, both fixed and detachable, and extends from side to side in 7c the usual way. The lace is then practically on the outside of the shoe throughout its entire extent, and the shoe can be fastened and unfastened with great ease and rapidity. In asmuchas the lace does not pass under the material of the shoe, the under surface is smooth, and therefore much more comfortable to the foot. The bond may be secured to the lace-holders in any convenient manner, as by being formed integral therewith or brazed 8o thereto, and when in position is nearly concealed from view by the lace which passes over it.

With my detachable holder in view of the fact that it is unnecessary to remove the lace from the holder each time an elastic lace can be used, which gives a very easy flexible fitting to the foot.

I do not intend to limit myself to the use of an elastic lace nor to the particular means shown of securing the detachable lace-holders to the shoe.

Having thus described my invention and its use, I claim- 1. In a shoe-fastener, a series of lace-hold- 5 ers permanently secured to one side of the shoe, a series of eyelets permanently secured to the other side of the shoe and a series of lace-holders having the same general configoration as said eyelets and adapted to be deme tachably secured in said eyelets.

2. In a shoe-fastener, aseries of lace-holdeyelets and having a prong adapted to engage the under edge of said eyelets, whereby said holders are detachably secured in said eyelets.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 8th day of [5 November, 1901.

ers permanently secured to one side of the shoe and a series of lace-holders adapted to be detachably secured to the other side, a pluralityof the detachable holders being united I by a rigid bond.

3. In a shoe-fastener, a series of lace-holders permanently secured to one side of the ALBERTO T. JORDAN. shoe, a series of eyelets secured to the other In presence ofside of the shoe and a series of lace-holders l ELGIN O. VERRILL,

[0 having the same general configuration as said I NATHAN CLIFFORD. 

